A/N: To everyone yelling at me (not really) here's the update It's a filler, to get from the last chapter to the next one so It's not the greatest but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

"Just let me get a nurse in here to remove your IV, and then you'll be able to go home." The doctor smiled at Bella and picked up the papers from the small counter in her room. Bella sighed, shifting on the scratchy sheet as she started to pick at the tape holding her IV in place.

"Leave it alone, Isabella." Edward groaned as he stepped around the edge of her door.

Bella's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you have no idea where my penthouse is, so someone would have to show you." He sat down in the small chair next to her bed. "I do hate hospitals."

"You're not the only one. Glad to see you got a chance to change your clothes." Bella muttered before going back to pick at the tape.

Edward smiled, checked his phone, and then placed it inside his suit jacket. "They smelt of smoke."

"That will happen when you run through a burning building."

"I was trying to save a damsel in distress."

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Do I seem like I need to be saved?" She asked, crossing her legs.

"You do actually."

"Ms. Swan?" A small nurse, who looked barely legal, knocked on her open door. "Can you verify your birth date for me?"

"September thirteenth, nineteen eighty-five," Bella replied with a sigh. "It's only the fortieth time I've said it."

"I do apologize," She said with a too-bright smile. "We just have to verify we have the right patient. You wouldn't want to get a colonoscopy because I thought you were the woman next door, right?"

Edward chuckled.

"Can we just get this over with?"

"Of course," She pulled the tape from her arm quickly, making Bella cringe in pain. "One small pinch," She removed the needle and taped a piece of cotton on her arm. "See, good as new."

"Can I leave now?"

"Here are your discharge papers, a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication, as well as, a pain medication, instructions on what to do should you hit your head again and if you just give that top sheet to the nurse on your way out, you'll be good to go."

"Yeah, thanks." Bella hopped off the bed, pulling the oversized sweats up on her hips and walking from the sterile room.

O…O

"So, you're not staying here with me, right?" Bella asked nervously, watching the lights on the panel climb towards the PH.

"I will need to grab a few things, and once I'm sure you're settled, I'll go back to my house."

"Good," Bella nodded once. "I'd hate for you to get the wrong impression."

"What kind of impression are you speaking of?"

Bella bit her lip instead of answering, and hurried out the doors when they opened, stepping into a foyer much like the one in Edward's house.

"Who decorates your homes?" Bella looked around, stepping deeper into the apartment.

"Her name is Katarina Jones, I can give you her number if you'd like."

"No, I just sometimes wonder what it must be like to be so pretentious." Bella laughed looking over at the glass and crystal bar.

"Well you're one to talk; I do remember your bedroom when we were growing up. You had a walk-in closet that was the size of a master bedroom."

Bella's brow creased. "I did?"

Edward nodded and led her towards the living room. She surveyed the crème couches and large windows that overlooked the city.

"The bedroom you'll be staying in is upstairs, the second door on the right. It overlooks Lake Michigan. There is also a heated pool straight through those doors," He pointed towards the back of the living room. "Even in the winter, it's hot enough to keep you comfortable."

"I don't think I'll be swimming anytime soon." Bella motioned towards her bandaged arm.

"Well," Edward shrugged. "Who knows how long you'll be here."

Bella ignored the feelings that shot through her. "I won't be here long, just enough time to find another apartment."

"What are you going to do about that?"

Bella ran her fingers over the mantel. "About what?"

"Finding a new apartment; I can have my realtor bring by a few listings if you would like."

"Sure," She shrugged. "That'll be fine."

"That was surprisingly easy," Edward laughed. "I need to go to my office; if you'll follow me I'll show you the stairs."

Bella walked after Edward towards the hall, stepping past the glass bar. She looked over the artwork that lined the walls.

"This place is very … impersonal."

"I'm never here, and sometimes I let others stay," He pointed towards her. "I'd prefer not to have personal things lying about to be pilfered through."

"Pilfered?" Bella laughed walking up the stairs. She turned, her eyes widening at the large expanse of windows. "This place really is beautiful." Her eyes danced over the lights of the city.

"Thank you." Edward nodded then motioned towards an opened door. "There's the room you'll be staying in, my office is at the end of the hall. It's the only locked door in this place, but I'll be back there if you need something. My mother stopped by and stocked the closet with a few clothes."

Bella looked towards the room, confused.

"Is something wrong?" Edward looked towards her anxiously.

"No, it's just … it's odd," She shrugged. "Someone doing so much for me - I've been alone for a long time." She whispered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Well, that's what my family is all about." Edward offered with a shrug.

"I'm going to go take a shower, wash the hospital from me." Bella disappeared into the room, closing the door tightly behind her.

O…O

Bella stepped into her temporary bedroom with a towel wrapped securely around her, her bare feet leaving water on the marble floor. The room was decorated in different shades of white; white walls, white floor with white couches on the far side. The bed was chocolate with a white comforter and pillows. Across from the bed was a flat screen television, and next to the couches, a large glass door led to a balcony overlooking the water.

She opened the double doors to the closet and glanced over the small choice of clothing. Her nose scrunched at the dresses and she quickly surpassed them, opting for a pair of sweat pants. The only tops hanging in the closet were dress shirts, so she checked the dresser. Pulling on an oversized t-shirt, Bella walked back into the hallway, against her better judgment. She glanced towards Edward's office, but the door was once again closed, so she made her way back downstairs.

"Feel better?"

Bella jumped and spun around.

"Jesus Christ! You need to make a noise; you can't just walk up on me like that."

Edward looked at her, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"I thought you were gone." Bella snapped.

"I wanted to make sure you didn't need anything before I left." He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

"No, I'm fine. Is there a phone?"

"A landline? No … do people still have those?" His eyebrows drew together as if he were in deep thought.

"How am I supposed to get someone in case of an emergency?" Bella could feel her chest start to tighten.

"I didn't think about that. The chances of a security breach are very slim, if even possible. You should be safe."

"I should have been safe at my apartment, and yet look what happened." She sighed, trying to keep her panic in check.

"Do you have your gun?"

"No, it's at what's left of my apartment."

Edward nodded. "Follow me." He led her down the hall to the first door on the right. "This is my … hmm … well I don't know how to explain it."

He opened the door, and when they stepped inside the lights came on automatically, illuminating the display cases lining all three walls. Behind the glass sat old guns, bows and other weapons.

"Your trophy room, perhaps?" Bella peered inside one case that held a musket gun.

"Something along those lines," Edward nodded.

"Well, if I ever get invited to do a Civil War reenactment I know where to look. Sadly, I don't think these guns would help me."

"Not the musket gun, but some of the others would be. Of course, they're not the ones I want you to use." He faced the bare wall that only held the door leading into the room. "I have a safe over here with more, modern weapons."

"Please don't tell me, it's hidden behind the wall."

Edward smirked. "But of course."

"How very James Bond of you," Bella rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her words.

Edward ignored her and pressed on the second panel of the wall, and slid it to the right, revealing a wall safe. Edward quickly typed in the code and pulled the door open.

"Here's a police issue nine millimeter, what you're used to carrying." He pulled the gun and a full clip from inside then shut the door, sealing the panel closed once more.

"Thanks," Bella muttered, taking the firearm from him. "I'll put it under my pillow, and it'll be just like home."

"You sleep with a gun under your pillow?"

"Of course I do."

"Of course you do," Edward laughed. "So, I'll be out of reach for the next week, I have to go campaign." He shifted uneasily, running a hand through his hair. Bella followed Edward from the room, the lights shutting off as they stepped into the hallway.

"Okay … good luck?"

"I just," Edward sighed shuffling his feet.

"What the hell is your problem?" Bella's brow furrowed as she grew more agitated.

"Sorry, but with everything that happened, I just didn't know if it was a good idea for me to leave."

"I don't see how any of this concerns you." She waved a hand over her injuries.

Edward's eyes darkened as they swept her body.

"Seriously? This is all because of me. Whoever is behind this attack targeted you because you got too close to my case." Edward's jaw tightened. "You were making links that weren't there. All of this concerns me."

"Okay, so you'll be gone all week, but I can take care of myself."

"They just blew up your damn apartment, Isabella! Had they sealed the bomb correctly, you wouldn't be here."

"But I am! I'm invincible." She joked.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "I don't find any of this funny."

"So?"

Edward sighed. "So, I'll be campaigning all week, here's the number of my campaign manager if you can't reach me and something happens. She's aware of everything so please don't hesitate to call."

"With the phone I don't have." She nodded. "You'll be the first to know." Bella moved two fingers from her forehead towards him in a pseudo salute.

"Would you like for me to go purchase a phone for you, Isabella?"

"No. I'll figure it out." She mumbled, gripping the edge of her shirt.

"Okay, well, I have what I need, so you stay here and please," He paused and looked directly at her. "Be careful this week."

"I will, now please go so I can get to bed."

Edward hovered near the elevator doors. "Well … goodnight."

"Goodnight." She chuckled and hit the button. "I'll see you when you get back I'm sure."

O…O

One Week Later

Bella sat atop her desk looking over a homicide file that had been linked to a cold case. Her eyes kept wandering towards the box marked Masen that sat on the floor. The detective assigned to the case was gone for the night, and he wouldn't even know if she just grabbed the most recent file. She glanced around the bullpen; it was empty save for two uniforms filing reports before leaving on their beat for the evening.

She sighed and ran her fingers across her forehead.

"I'll need access to police files, hacking them would draw attention, and I'll need you back on my case."

Bella dropped the file next to her and slid from the desk, checking the room again for anyone paying attention. She grabbed an empty file folder from her drawer and carried it over to the other detective's desk. Bella lifted the box to his desk and flipped the lid off, pretending to place the file inside. With one last glance around, she pulled the two most recent files out and tucked them inside her leather jacket. Returning the lid and dropping the box back to the floor, she easily walked from the precinct.

"Then, when the time comes, you'll pull the trigger."

Walking along the street, Bella had a familiar feeling. The feeling that she experienced in the alley the first night, the night she was taken, and the last night at her apartment. A shiver ran through her body, goose bumps breaking out across her skin. Someone was watching her, but they could be anywhere, multiple buildings and cars lined the streets.

She pulled her coat tightly around her body, crossing her arms and keeping her eyes moving between the cars and the alleys. Bella glanced towards the countless windows that looked down on her. She slipped into an alley that would empty onto the street where Edward's penthouse resided. Halfway to the other side she heard their footsteps behind her. Bella slipped her gun from her hip and spun quickly, meeting the surprised face of Carlisle Cullen.

"What the hell? Why are you following me?"

"I'm just trying to ensure your safety," Carlisle held his hands up. "Could you please lower your weapon?"

Bella sighed and holstered her gun.

"Ensuring my safety? Am I in danger?" Bella started to walk towards the street.

"Of course you are. With," Carlisle waved his hand, "gone he asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Why?"

"To keep you out of harm's way."

"No, why did he ask you to follow me?"

Carlisle sighed.

"I don't like to repeat myself, Isabella."

"Well then you two have that in common, but you have yet to explain why you're all so worried about me." Bella stopped before the shadows of the alley ended.

"We have a lot of time and effort invested in you."

Bella glanced out at the street. "Okay, well I'm two hundred feet from where I'll be staying. You can go back that way," She pointed the way they came. "It would look bad if someone were to see us speaking."

"I don't think anyone would know."

"Carlisle, everyone in this town knows who you are. My badge is clipped to my hip, people would assume the worst, and I don't want to be labeled as a dirty cop. Please go back and I'm going to go this way. I'll be safe."

"I'll stay here and watch you, no one will see me."

Bella rubbed her temple. "Fine, just stay in the shadows." She stepped from the alley and hurried towards Edward's building.

O…O

Once safely inside the penthouse, Bella pulled the files from inside her jacket and dropped them on the kitchen counter. She scanned the first file easily, reading over witness statements and information she already knew. It seemed as if no one had caught on to the Cullen connection except her. Seth's notes were encased in the same file, so she moved on to the second.

When she lifted the manila cover, her partner's face stared back at her; she easily picked him out of the array of other photos. It was a lineup they often showed to victims and witnesses hoping someone could ID the perp. Flipping it over, Seth's name was the only one on the back identifying him as the suspect.

"What the hell?" She whispered, digging through the rest of the file. However, the only thing inside were more lineup arrays with Seth included. Bella wished she had brought the entire box home, but there was no way she could have snuck out with it unnoticed. She looked over the information in both files trying to find anything with his name in it, any kind of link to show why they targeted her partner.

"Something wrong?"

Bella jumped, knocking all the papers to the floor.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" She spun around. "What the hell did I tell you about that?" Bella yelled.

"Sorry," Edward laughed, crossing his arms. "I thought you heard me come in."

"Where did you come from?"

Edward pointed behind him toward the balcony where the pool was located. Only then did Bella notice that he was wearing nothing but a pair of low riding blue swim trunks with a towel in his hand. Droplets of water stuck to his bare chest and abs, other beads fell from the ends of his hair onto his shoulders.

"I thought you wouldn't be back until Sunday?"

"Came back early, the trip went better than expected." He smiled.

"Did you get laid or something?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"Uh…" Edward looked shocked. "No, why would you say that?"

"That's normally what you guys mean when you say things like that." She shrugged.

"Not the type of men I associate with."

"Well, why are you back here instead of at your house?"

"I wanted to check on you," He smiled again. "And swim. So what's that?" Edward motioned towards the papers littering his floor.

"N-nothing." She bent and started quickly collecting the pieces of her stolen file.

"It looks like something, does it have to do with your case or mine?"

Bella looked up at him. "Yours," She straightened the papers and tucked them inside their folder.

"Anything interesting?"

Bella stood, glancing towards Edward who had yet to move from his original position.

"You could say that."

"Am I going to have to play fifty questions to get a real answer?"

"It's your file, and I was going to see if anyone had made the connection to your family besides me, but I found a lineup instead."

"Okay?"

"The way we set up a photo array is we put the suspect's picture in a lineup like this with people who look like them. And on the back, we only include the name of the actual suspect, so uniforms know who to identify. The only person's name on the back of this array is my partner, Seth Clearwater." She flipped the paper over.

Edward's brow furrowed. "That's odd."

"Yeah, odd is one word for it." She tossed it back onto the counter and ran a hand through her hair. "I have no idea what to do."

"Well, what about the other evidence? Does it connect back to your partner?"

"I don't know, I was yanked from the case before any results actually came in and I could grab only these two files. The first is useless. Plus the detective now assigned to your case is not exactly organized."

"What if I called him for an update?"

"He'd probably say they're working on a lead or two, and try to push you off the phone."

"Yes, but I don't accept answers like that. Or if you wanted, I could just hack into the system at your precinct and see what's going on."

"Well, Roberts doesn't operate like that, he'd shut yo- I'm sorry, what?"

"What?" Edward looked over at her expectantly.

"Hack into the precinct?"

"Yeah, well their mainframe; I'd have access to everything."

"You can't do that!"

"Why?"

"It's illegal."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Edward started laughing.

"Of course," She sighed. "What does that mean to you? The lines of the law are blurred so much you can't even see them anymore."

"I do what I need to, Isabella. You should do the same."

O…O

Bella paced her room a few more times, overly aware of Edward's presence just a few feet away in the master bedroom. Even with everything that had transpired over the last few weeks it was difficult for her to immediately consider going through illegal channels. However, this was Seth, her best friend and her partner. She needed to protect him and, if they only way to do that was having Edward hack into Roberts' files, she would do it. Bella took a deep breath and opened the door, turning towards the other bedroom.

"Edward?" Bella called as she knocked on the door. She only had to wait a few seconds before he answered the door, opting for gray pajama pants instead of his board shorts, but his chest was just as bare. Edward had a cell phone pressed to his ear, but it wasn't the phone he normally used.

"One second," He whispered and motioned for her to step inside. Bella shook her head, preferring to stay in the hall. The last thing she needed was to be that close to a bed with a half-naked Edward.

The thought shook Bella to her core as she realized that she had just admitted her attraction to the man in front of her.

Calm the fuck down, Bella. She mentally berated herself for letting the revelation even creep into her mind.

"Sorry about that, how can I help you?" Edward smiled at her, and she allowed herself to notice that it wasn't the 'plastic politician' smile that normally adorned his face.

"I want to know what's in his files."

"Then we need to go to my house."

"We can't do it here?" Bella asked, confused.

"Because the equipment that I need is at my house, so let me get dressed, and I'll meet you downstairs."

She nodded and disappeared back into her room, replacing her sweat pants with jeans, but opting to keep the long-sleeved shirt on. Bella jogged downstairs and grabbed the coat she had worn earlier. Edward followed her in the same pajama pants, and a t-shirt.

"I thought you were changing?"

"I put a shirt on?" He motioned to said shirt.

"What if someone sees you?"

"I'm confused as to what that has to do with anything?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Forget it, come on."

They rode the elevator together, watching the numbers descend.

"Let me guess, your car is already downstairs?" Bella asked, glancing towards him.

"Nah, I'm just going to take my own car, it's not that far of a drive and my poor driver has been working overtime all week."

"What's his name?"

"Who?" Edward was momentarily distracted by his phone.

"Your driver? You always say 'my driver' instead of the man's name."

"Hmm…" Edward seemed to ponder her statement. "I guess I do. His name is Roger Beasley."

"How long has he been your driver?" Edward motioned for her to step from the elevator ahead of him. They walked along the lobby.

"Twelve years." Edward drew the words out as he tried to remember. "Or close to it, since I was nineteen."

"That's a long time to put up with someone like you."

He laughed. "I have to agree."

"Hello Nigel." Bella waved to the doorman.

"Evening Ms. Swan, Mr. Masen." He tipped his hat. "Would you like for me to call you a cab?"

"No, Edward's decided to drive himself for the first time in twelve years." Bella joked.

"Well, allow me to call the valet." Nigel reached for a phone.

"We can walk to the garage, Nigel; you just sit here and try to keep warm." She smiled and rubbed his shoulder before walking towards the garage.

"How do you know his first name?" Edward asked as they stepped into the covered parking area.

"I asked." Bella laughed.

"I was always taught that was impolite."

"Well, I called him Mr. Connors once and he corrected me and asked that I call him Nigel, so now I call him by his first name. Do you know anyone that works for you on a personal level?"

"Sure," He unlocked his car and opened the door for Bella. "I know you."

"I don't work for you." Bella punched him in the arm before sitting down. "And don't forget that."

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